Shepherd's Pie

This recipe uses both ground lamb and ground beef, however you could use just one or the other.  It's a great thing to make with left over mashed potatoes.  This recipe makes a large pan.  If you want a smaller amount, cut ingredients in half and it should be about right for a deep dish pie plate or an 8x8 baking dish.
 Ingredients:
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground chuck or ground beef
1 package frozen peas
1 package frozen carrots
1 package frozen pearl onions
3 cups lamb or beef gravy
6 cups mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°
Brown meat in a little oil in a skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper while browning.  While meat is cooking, heat the onions in the microwave for about 5 minutes.  Mix together all the ingredients except potatoes.  Place mixture into greased pan and top with mashed potatoes, spreading the potatoes all over the top until smooth.  Place pan onto sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes at 400°.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serve with baguette bread for sopping up the extra juice.
Enjoy!

Lamb Time

It's Time for Lamb! 

This week I'll be picking up our lamb from Jordandal Farms.  Each year we order a full lamb and it never lasts as long as you think it would.  It's fantastic, local, pasture raised, antibiotic free Icelandic lamb.   We've tried lamb from all the local producers and believe the lamb raised at Jordandal is the best available locally.

Beast and I will start posting lamb recipes as we cook.  If you've never had lamb, you really ought to try it.  We got hooked when in Australia and learned some basic ways to prepare lamb as they do in Oz.

I always ask for all the bones so I can make stock.  It's super easy and very healthy.

Lamb Stock:

Roast 3-5 lbs lamb bones in the oven at 325° for about 3 hours.  Allow bones to cool and discard any excess fat.  Place roasted bones in a stock pot with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Once the water boils, strain off the water to remove excess grease, then cover with cold water once again, add approximately 3 Tbsp Kosher salt and bring to a boil once again over medium heat.  Simmer over medium-low heat for about 3 hours, or until bones are clean.  Strain broth 3 times to remove any excess sediment, then add 1 large onion, chopped, 2 carrots, chopped and 2-3 stalks celerey chopped, season with salt and pepper, add 1-2 bay leaves and then bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes.  Strain broth and cool.  Broth can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 6 months...if you can resist it that long!  Use the lamb broth as you would beef broth in recipes, or use it as a base for scrumptious soups, like Vegetable Barley Soup. 

Wishing you a Very Beasty Christmas

Beast and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

The cards are sent, the shopping done, the cookies baked and now we're trying to figure out what to make for Christmas Dinner.  Beast would like it to be something that requires a lot of attention and stirring on the stove.  I, on the other hand, would prefer something simple and fairly hands-free. 

Maybe oyster stew, or lobster bisque.  Tim is opting for something involving meat, and lots of it.  Whatever we decide, we know we'll enjoy it, even if just something out of the freezer (we've been eating out of the freezer all week...making room for the lamb that is coming soon).  Regardless of our holiday dinner what we enjoy most is being home, not working, relaxing and appreciating the company of one another.  The kitties, of course would like a little extra something fishy or with chicken, but otherwise they're happy just sitting in our laps. 
So, after I finish work tomorrow night and decide on the menu, we'll post some pics and recipes.
In the meanwhile, Merry, Merry to you and yours!  May your holiday be stress-free, safe and enjoyable.
--Beast and Lisa, Tim, Birch and Coffee

It's National Pie for Breakfast Day

If you missed out on it today, mark your calendars for next year...It's National Pie for Breakfast Day!
I don't know who thinks up these crazy food celebrations, but I'm sure glad they do...
We had some of our pumpkin pie with ancho chile and coffee for breakfast today.
What a great way to start off the weekend, much better than standing in line shopping at some Big Box Store :)

Cranberry Orange Cheesecake with Cardamom




Cranberry Orange Cheesecake with Cardamom

 

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Here's a sneak peek at a photo from my soon to be published cookbook, 52 Weeks of Cheesecake. 

I've been working on the cookbook ever since closing Wisconsin Cheesecakery, and this year one of my goals was to complete the book in time for Christmas.  It's going to be close, I've still got some editing to do and final photos to add, but I think I might be done in time for holiday sales around mid-December.



This is a photo that will be in the cookbook along with the recipe for my Cranberry Orange Cheesecake with Cardamom.  If you'd like to try it, stop in at Delaney's this week or next while we have it available for a limited time. 

Hope your Thanksgiving is safe, relaxing and filling!

Lisa, Tim and the Kitties3

Curried Lentils and Mustard Greens

I've got it!  What to do with all those mustard greens we got in the CSA late this year.  I'll never wonder again...this is the recipe.

Curried Lentils and Mustard Greens (with optional shrimp and scallops)

Due to Crohn's I've developed a deficiency in B-12 and Vitamin D.  So, I've been researching which foods I can increase in my diet to help with the deficiencies.  B-12 deficiency is unusual, and can be difficult for me to overcome.  Because of Crohn's my body doesn't absorb nutrients like everyone else.  Unfortunately the foods highest in B-12 are those I cannot digest...proteins and meats.  But, they are also found in fish and shellfish, which I can digest (and eggs, which I hate).  So, foraging in my cupboard and refrigerator today I found some lentils and a huge bunch of mustard greens.  I stopped at the co-op and picked up some Laughing  Bird shrimp and bay scallops (1/2 lb of each ).  Here's the recipe I made today, and it was so good we'll make it again soon.

2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 small onions, diced
2 tsp kosher or sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
2 tbsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp hot curry powder
2 tsp curry powder
1 cup lentils
3 cups chicken broth, warmed
1 bunch mustard greens, chopped and washed
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 lb Laughing Bird shrimp (or other small peeled, deveined shrimp)

1/2 lb bay scallops

In a large saucepan heat olive oil, then add carrots,celery, onion and salt.  Cook 10-12 minutes over medium heat, or until onions are transluscent.  Add garlic and ginger, pepper flakes, curry powder and coriander and cumin.  Stir well, cook about 2 minutes.  Add lentils and cook another 2 minutes.  Add chicken broth, increase heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add mustard greens, stirring to incorporate, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  Add butter, sherry and lemon juice, cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.  Add shrimp and scallops and cook just until shrimp is light pink and scallops no longer transluscent.  Add salt and pepper to taste, if required.  We didn't need more.

Serve immediately and turn the pot off so the shellfish doesn't continue to cook. 

Makes about 4 servings, depending on how many helpings you have. 

To serve leftovers, reheat gently so as not to make the shellfish tough.

Great on its own or served with naan or crusty bread.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies...need I say more?!! What a fantastic treat for October, or anytime really.  What the heck are whoopie pies, you're asking?  Well, you simply haven't lived if you haven't had one of these scrumpdelicious treats.  I found this recipe in the King Arthur Flour magazine and decided to make them for Sawyer's birthday.  (Sawyer is our neighbor who just turned 11).  I think the adults liked them as much or more than the children did.  If you like pumpkin anything you'll love these.  They have a great mixture of spices that reminds you of home.  I would suggest using fresh pumpkin.  One pie pumpkin was just enough to get the 1 1/2 cups pumpkin required for the recipe.  All you do is cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds (and save them for roasted pepitas) then bake the pumpkin cut side down at 350° for about 45 minutes, or until a fork pierces the outer skin easily.  Remove from the oven and flip over so it will cool more quickly.  Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the pumpkin and measure for your recipe.  Any leftovers can be used for smoothies, empanada filling, or whatever you like.  One note on the recipe, I used a regular sized scoop and they turned out way too big.  They spread quite a bit while baking, so use a small scoop (or just a half portion of your regular scoop), or a pastry bag and portion out so they are about 2-3 inches in diameter.  Since I was making these for children I didn't add the crystallized ginger, but I would add it if making for adults.  This recipe is a keeper!

For toasted pepitas, take pumpkin seeds you scooped out and remove the larger chunks of stringy guts.  Don't wash the seeds, though because the natural flavors from the pumpkin guts make the pepitas tasty.  Spread them out on a sheet pan and bake with the pumpkin.  They should be completely dried when done.  Then, melt some butter in a pan and add your favorite seasonings.  I used some dried cayenne pepper, a little sea salt, some freshly ground cumin and a pinch of black pepper.  Stir in the pumpkin seeds until well coated, then spread them back out onto a sheet pan and bake at 250° for about 45 minutes, stirring a couple of times during baking.  mmm...pepitas!